Crock Pot Bruschetta Chicken
Love the Italian flavors of this fresh Crock Pot Bruschetta Chicken with tender, seasoned chicken, tomatoes, balsamic, and melty mozzarella. Such an easy dinner recipe!
A Delicious (And Impressive) Chicken Dinner!
If you love the classic bruschetta appetizer, then you will really love this chicken. It takes all those flavors of fresh tomatoes, basil and balsamic vinegar and combines that with seasoned chicken and it really is the perfect combination of flavors. This Crock Pot Bruschetta Chicken feels a little fancy but doesn’t actually require a bunch of work!
This recipe turned out great! I feared there might be too many tomatoes but they blended well, the dish didn’t taste too ‘tomatoey.’ So delicious and we really loved it!
– Gail
Frequently Asked Questions:
You can serve it by itself, with some slices of toasted garlic bread, or over some Pappardelle Pasta (as shown here, not a paid affiliate link) angel hair, or penne pasta. It would be great on some Garlic Bread or Texas toast too.
You certainly can if you prefer! Season the chicken with the salt, pepper and Italian seasoning and sear both sides in a bit of olive oil in a skillet then continue with the recipe as written.
They both bring different flavor profiles to this dish. The balsamic dressing is thinner than the vinegar as well and is a bit more tangy in flavor. If you don’t want to go out and buy a bottle of balsamic dressing, you can easily make your own:
Ingredients for Balsamic Dressing:
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
1 garlic clove, grated (you want it really finely minced)
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt (or more to taste)
a pinch of black pepper
6 Tablespoons olive oil
Directions:
Add all the ingredients (minus the olive oil) to a bowl and stir to combine. Slowly drizzle the olive oil into the mixture while whisking constantly. Continue to whisk until the mixture is fully emulsified. You can also put everything into a lidded container (like a mason jar) and vigorously shake it until fully combined and emulsified.
If you like a spicier dinner, try adding in some red pepper flakes to the sauce.
Leftovers can be transferred to an airtight container once they’ve cooled. They’ll keep in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can freeze leftovers in a freezer safe container or bag for up to 3 months. When ready to enjoy it again, let the container thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating. To reheat easily, add everything to a skillet and reheat on the stovetop. You can use the microwave too. If the sauce is too thick, add a splash of broth to help thin it out some.
Ingredients Needed: (See Recipe Card Below For The Full Recipe)
- boneless, skinless chicken breasts– if you don’t want to use chicken breast, you can opt of chicken thighs.
- Italian seasoning
- garlic – I like to use fresh garlic when I can because it is going to give the best garlic flavor but if all you have is the jarred stuff, then go with that.
- canned diced tomatoes– drained well, if you don’t your sauce will get too thin. If you don’t love big chunks of tomatoes, you can get petite diced tomatoes and they’re cut even smaller. If you want some more flavor, try the dived tomatoes with the garlic, oregano, and basil already in the cans. You can also do a can of Rotel if you want some heat.
- balsamic salad dressing– any brand of balsamic salad dressing can be used. I used Brianna’s Creamy Balsamic Dressing (not a paid affiliate link) if you want to try that. We will also be using balsamic vinaigrette in this as well. I give an easy, homemade version of Balsamic Salad Dressing above.
- sugar– this is optional and it’s used to help balance the acidity from other ingredients. If you don’t want to use sugar, you can use honey and it will serve the same purpose.
- shredded mozzarella cheese– don’t get too antsy and add the cheese too early. Wait until the end to be sure it melts perfectly. Instead of mozzarella, you could try provolone or a blend of Italian cheeses.
- cherry tomatoes – I prefer cherry tomatoes over grape tomatoes. I think the skin is bit more tender and easier to eat but you could certainly use grape tomatoes if you prefer.
- fresh basil – chopped
- balsamic vinegar – just pick up your favorite brand. I like Trader Joes balsamic vinegar. It’s a good price and tastes great.
How To Make Crock Pot Bruschetta Chicken
In a small bowl combine salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. Sprinkle both sides of the chicken breasts with seasoning mix. Place chicken into a 5-6 quart slow cooker. Sprinkle minced garlic over the chicken. Pour the diced tomatoes and balsamic vinaigrette dressing over the top. Sprinkle with sugar if using.
Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3 hours, until the chicken is tender and fully cooked (internal temperature of the chicken should be at least 165F degrees) Sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese over the chicken, cover, and let it melt for about 10 minutes. Make the bruschetta topping: In a small bowl, combine halved cherry tomatoes, basil, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Gently stir to combine.
Spoon the fresh bruschetta mixture over the cheesy chicken before serving.
Craving More Recipes?
- Parmesan Bruschetta
- Bruschetta Pasta Salad
- Crock Pot Creamy Italian Chicken Pasta
- Crock Pot Chicken Spaghetti
- Crock Pot Tuscan Chicken
Crock Pot Bruschetta Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, drained well
- ½ cup balsamic dressing
- 1 teaspoon sugar (optional, to balance acidity)
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (more, to taste)
Bruschetta topping:
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- ¼ cup fresh basil, chopped
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinaigrette
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a small bowl combine 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper and 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning.
- Sprinkle both sides of the 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts with seasoning mix.
- Place chicken into a 5-6 quart slow cooker.
- Sprinkle 3 cloves garlic, minced over the chicken.
- Pour 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, drained well and ½ cup balsamic dressing on top of the chicken. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon sugar, if using.
- Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3 hours, until the chicken is tender and fully cooked (internal temperature of the chicken should be at least 165F degrees)
- Sprinkle 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese over the chicken, cover, and let it melt for about 10 minutes.
- Make the fresh bruschetta topping: In a small bowl, combine 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved, ¼ cup fresh basil, chopped, 1 Tablespoon olive oil, 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinaigrette and salt and pepper, to taste. Gently stir to combine.
- Spoon the fresh bruschetta mixture over the chicken before serving. Shown here served over pappardelle pasta.
Notes
- Please refer to my FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
- This cooks in 6 hours on low or 3 hours on high.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
This recipe turned out great! I feared there might be too many tomatoes but they blended well, the dish didn’t taste too ‘tomatoey.’ So delicious and we really loved it!
Thank you so very much Gail! I appreciate you coming back to comment and review!
Hi! I responded to your comment after my rating on how wonderful this recipe is and now it has disappeared!! I hope you can get it back!! Laurie P
Hi! I responded to your message after my rating and now my nice review has disappeared.. I hope you can get it back! Laurie P
Hi! I made this last night and it is delicious!! I added a little more basil to the bruschetta topping only because I really like basil and only used one clove of garlic with the chicken, just our preference! Everything else I kept the same – perfect! This smelled amazing cooking and I made the pappardelle pasta to go with it. This recipe is a keeper! I am recently diagnosed autoimmune adult late onset type 1 diabetes and my numbers were great after eating!! Thank you for another wonderful recipe! Laurie P
Thank you so, so very much Laurie!! That really made my day to read. I know getting that diagnosis can be hard. As a fellow autoimmune gal (lupus) I completely understand the challenges! Thank you for taking the time to come back and comment, I am so happy to hear you loved it!
Oh my gosh, my Mom had Lupus, and that’s why I was susceptible to a trigger activating the diabetes in me and my Dad having had type 2 diabetes. I wish you well!! Laurie P
Looks amazing